bruce johnson

I don't know what fits the rotary punches. I mostly get the single tube punches and have an outlet for the rotary punches as-is. You'd likely need to take a tube into the local hardware store and use their screw and nut checker to see what size tap will fit it. That is what I used to do until I got a thread checker of my own. They may be metric and may be fractional. Check both.

I could be interested, please message me. Thanks, - Bruce

I would not give more than $75 for sure and likely $25 would be ball park.

Hansens or handmades are about it for what you are looking for. I can vouch for Hansens quality. The handmades are going to be more than Hansens.

I only see a missing blade and blade screws also. The thing I see against this is the top wheel is the feed wheel and will mark your leather. Later versions of the Americans had the feedwheel on the bottom and the top wheel was a lot smoother. Those are much more desirable. You can get blades easy enough - Pilgrim Shoe, Campbell-Randall, and maybe still Weavers.

David, Don't ya just love the helpfulness of the CS Osborne crew? I don't replace springs. Some like them, most don't . Lots of the old guys just cut the springs off. Sorry I can't help you with tips and tricks. I use a M8-1.0 tap for the 1-7 tubes. Yes, metric. For the #8 I use a 3/8-24 tap. Yes, SAE. You may find that the new tubes don't want to go into the older Newark marked frames. The older tubes (and taps) had a lower thread height and that is what I found. They tell you thread sizes never changed. True to a point, the thread count is the same, the height may not be. That is the part they don't tell you. Run a new tap through and they go right in.

Elton Joorisity turned me on to using Todd nippers. Todd end nippers with the replaceable edges will make short work of cutting off excess shank. Another advantage is the bevel on the cutters is just right to set flush to nip and the remaining stem is just the right length for a clean peening. The three piece setters work best for me. One sets the burr, the second rounds over the peen, and third domes the head of the rivet for a clean, finished look. Sheridan Leather Outfitters sells the set and they are the real thing. If I can't set three within a minute, I'm slacking.

I see no issue with replacing the strap either if the leather is dried and cracked. Could be your great-granddad and granddad went through a strap or two in their day with it too. Also, take a look at the jaws and how nicely they really taper up and thin out at the tips. You will be able to set your stitch line close to the jaws for security and your hands will be able to get in close for control and do some fine work. Some modern makers of stitching horses should see this profile and take a lesson. You've got a nice one.

Keith, I sent you a PM

The felt may help date it some. During wartimes wool was a war commodity and a lot of saddles were done with felt. Option two - felt was used on lower end catalog saddles instead of wool. The felt may be original. It looks like some parts were restitched along the way and the stirrup leathers are replacements. The swells and leg cuts are interesting but hard to say. The tree may or may not necessarily narrow down to a maker. The horn covering style was common in the 30s and 40s, and may be on either side of that time period too. Without a maker stamp it is kind of hard to pin down a maker. Just a number without a maker may not mean much. My great-granddad's saddle has a number on the latigo carrier, but is maker marked by Duhamels in Rapid City, SD. I never paid much attention to the number until I read that is how they marked the model number of the saddle. There are some similarities to your saddle, his came in the 30s.

Thanks for posting! I like looking at this old stuff.

Most have a wooden piece between the shells. S,mall post section, something like that. The ends are carved down some to taper into the shells and awood screw ran through the horn into the wood connector for the back side to keep them on. .

I don't have any round knives but I have a heck of good Harrington head knife laid out for cleaning up tomorrow. If that might work for you, please contact me through the links in my signature. Thanks, - Bruce

It seems like Dixon dropped the older patterns to their tools and took ease of manufacturing shortcuts that sure weren't very good. Comparing the old Dixon plough gauges to the last ones made have you wonder what they were thinking. CS Osborne is not far behind with some tools. I get the same feeling handling a modern CS Osborne creaser, French edger, or bisonette edger as a quick example. Handles aside, the working ends are not even close to the old tried and true patterns.

FWIW regarding Leather Machine - I'd suspect that David and the other guy are both at the guild show in Indiana this weekend. Takes a few days to get there and I expect a few days to get back.

If you are serious about selling it for $200 shipped, then consider it sold to me. Please send me a PM about payment details

The Wickenburg show is sponsored by Sheridan Leather Outfitters and Hansen Silver. Last year it was in early February. Later in February was the Prescott show sponsored by Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal.

Once you get the tensions right, then you can really help out the stitch appearance with an overstitch wheel. The attached scan shows the bottom side of a stitched strap. The right side had a wheel ran over it and looks pretty darn close to top stitching.

I just did a google search for "evapo-rust Australia" and it gave me a list of stockists. This stuff is good as has been mentioned. Just a tip - you can warm it and speed the process along. Put the tools in an aluminum pan and warm to "cool enough you can stick your finger in, hot enough you can't leave it there". It will make a 12 hour cold soak happen in about 10 minutes. The solution can be reused a lot. I strain it back into the jug and use it until it is black as tar. Rinse the tools a couple times and wipe them down and let them dry.

I used one a few years ago when I had dislocated my thumb in the middle of "awards season". It saved my bacon then. They do OK. They don't cut as deep as a blade. They take a little learning. It is kind of like pulling a trailer - you have to slightly exaggerate the turn on the front end to keep the back end from cheating in. I was pretty happy to get out of the braces and splints and back to swivel knife when it was all said and done.

I have added a bunch of tools for sale to my website over the last couple days. I have a 2" Osborne English point and a 1-1/2" slot. Thanks, Bruce

It is not just a "price guide". He shows how examples of how he prices certain things, but don't get hung up on that. It illustrates the principles on how to arrive at your prices. He starts on overhead, accounting for trimming waste, markup on materials, accounting for time, and then putting it all together to get a price. It doesn't matter if you're making keyfobs or saddles, the same principles apply. He shows how to make worksheets that account for most everything and help you arrive at a price. If you want to make money - buy it.

I heard back from him - Bruce, Lower number is WW1 era, larger number is about 1930. Obviously 30451 and 30452 are sequential. The B at the end of the number indicates a multiple order, in this case 2 or more pairs of chaps. When a number of trophy saddles were ordered by a rodeo committee, for example, they were given one serial number and A,B, C etc. Chaps had the serial number on the inside of the belt, usually on both sides in the 30s and later. Earlier, WW1 era, the maker's stamps with serial numbers were on the outside front of the belts.

If you can get me the serial number on the back of the cantle I'll forward it to a guy who can probably pin it down a lot more.

I talked to another guy today and asked him about this stamp - first thing out of his mouth was "Ellis made it I think" so I am at least on a synchronous wavelength there.